Demand to see Santa.

… the number of Santas available and a parent’s desire to have their children see St. Nick in a timely manner, loosely determines the potential sketchiness of Santas in your area. As demand (D) increases, you can expect a corresponding increase in quantity (Q) or available Santas and the sketchiness (S) of any given Santa.

(via Chart Porn)

Innovative Maps

You know how when you go to a new city and get a map to find your way around?? You know when the very same paper map is awkward to unfold and then folds weirdly and gets all ripped up in your bag?? Well, Crumpled City Maps are the the new and improved version of those nasty, tear-so-easily-maps, they are soft, waterproof and meant to be tossed around! How rad is that?!?

P.S - Forgive me for being out of action for so long, i was in India on holidays and thus did not have much time to update.

Best Inventions of 2010

Time Magazine has put together a list of some the most coolest inventions invented in 2010. This list includes a real iorn man suit, a plastic bottle boat, lifeguard robot, sarcasm detector, a mosquito laser and ofcourse the iPad. Check out the whole story at The 50 Best Inventions of 2010

Dead Drops

This is one project that takes peer-to-peer sharing to a whole new level. Berlin based designer Aram Bartholl. has designed an anonymous, offline, peer-to-peer public file sharing network. essentially Aram is 'injecting' USB's into walls, curbs and buildings that are easily accessible to the public. 

You are invited to go to these places ( 5 in NYC so far) and drop files you think are worth sharing or just have a look at what people have shared so far. All you have to do is plug your laptop into the wall, house or pole the USB is embedded into to get cracking. Every USB key comes with a readme.txt file that explains the purpose of the whole project

Current NYC ‘Dead Drops’ Locations:
87 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Makerbot)
Empire Fulton Ferry Park, Brooklyn, NY (Dumbo)
235 Bowery, NY (New Museum)
Union Square, NY (Subway Station 14th St)
540 West 21st Street, NY (Eyebeam)

Dead drop is a project in the works and is hoping to expand firstly in a number of cities across america and then across the world!

What a fine idea!

Pay it forward!

We've heard many many times that the world out there is an evil place. A place where people only care about money and profit. A place where ruining the environment, exploiting the illiterate, bribery and greed are things you have to do to stay ahead of the competition.  WRONG!  In recent times, there has been a surge in the number of companies that care more about giving than just money money money! Here are a few examples of some organisations I discovered that give something away to someone in need, every time you buy one of their products!


TOMS Shoes  - This insanely popular American company gives a pair of shoes to someone in need every time you buy one. Turns out this BO-GOA (Buy One – Give One Away) approach might apply more broadly than we think. Plus, with its emphasis on purpose motive for business is a lesson i think most organization's need to learn 

Project7's coffee with a purpose -  what if that cup of coffee you drink ever day could change the world? Project 7 is doing exactly that. Each of their seven coffees is attached to a specific cause and provides funding for worthy non-profits. these funds are put towards specific activities that make a difference. Simply put, Project 7 exists to give. The are cause related company that makes every day consumer goods like bio-bottled water, gum, mints and coffee, a one way ticket to solve world problems like hunger, sickness, homelessness, education and environmental issues

ATM's that give excessive fee to NGO's - You know how every time you withdraw money from an ATM that is not of your bank, you are slapped with a ridiculous transaction fee?? Well, Choose Change ATM has developed a brand of ATMs that lets users donate 1$  of each 2$ transaction fee to a non-profit Organization of their choice. Users get to select the display of eight non-profits supporting causes such as disaster aid, poverty and human rights. The ATM's are installed at no cost to the retailer and ChooseChange handles all the maintenance and refills. 

These are just a few examples of  how embedded corporate generosity/concern are in tune with the spirit of giving.

Cool eh?? The world is not such a bad place after all. 

Puppy!

Oh My god, What a shot! LOL


Image by  Tim Flach

Can't find your phone??

The entrepreneurial spirit is such that every problem is seen as an opportunity...catering to people's laziness/forgetfulness is a one stop shop to a money-making enterprise.  This little site called I can't find my phone is no different!!

Don't understand what i mean?? Well, do you know those moments when you can't find your phone, but there is no one around you could ask to call you?? Well, that's what icantfindmyphone.com is for. Fantastic isnt it?? Plus its free!!

The only down side, it works only for american numbers. Quick, someone adapt it to your local market! 

The Right Thing

Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.

- Caterina Fake

Hahaha!! How true...hope everyone has a really productive day!

Happy Thursday!

7 Skills students need for their future

I dream that one day, I will build a school that teaches everything Tony wagner speaks about!! Our current education system is too isolated and too pre-historic! So if you'r someone who thinks the same way...or even someone who just wishes to develop the 7 critical skills required to survive in todays world....this is a talk worth listening to!

Distractions

One of the more embarrassing and self-indulgent challenges of our time is the task of relearning how to concentrate. The past decade has seen an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything. To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible.

…

The need to diet, which we know so well in relation to food, and which runs so contrary to our natural impulses, should be brought to bear on what we now have to relearn in relation to knowledge, people, and ideas. Our minds, no less than our bodies, require periods of fasting.

Alain de Botton on Distraction

Vintage fitness equipment

A random google search brought me to this page featuring Vintage Fitness Equipment. What can I say? I am stunned. See more images.

Urban storytelling

Rob Walker, the author of Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are explains how he kept walking by a construction site that sported one of those fancy 3D renderings of what’s soon to come. After months of walking by the site, and nothing happening, it was clear that obviously this was just a bunch of hot air.

The idea for The Hypothetical Development was born. In robs own words "Why not pick interesting sites and come up with Hypothetical Development renderings? Consider it a new form of urban storytelling."

Or as they explain it on their site:
Members of this Hypothetical Deveolpment begin the narrative process by examining city neighborhoods and commercial districts for compelling structures that appear to have fallen into disuse —“hidden gems” of the built environment. In varying states of repair, these buildings suggest only stories about the past, not the future. What this means is that they will put huge signs with illustrations/graphics of what soon is to come on this site outside various locations in New Orleans.

Hypothetical Development Organization (Kickstarter Trailer) from R Walker on Vimeo.


I think the idea is pure genius. What do you think??

How to motivate innovative people!

How do we encourage people to try out their new ideas? One of the big problems we face in managing innovation is figuring out a way to help the people we work with to be more creative. In this fantastic talk, Dan Pink outlines some of the key points from his new book Drive! Enjoy!

How to really inspire people!

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers — and as a counterpoint Tivo, which (until a recent court victory that tripled its stock price) appeared to be struggling.

Definitely a new favorite on my long list of TED talks.

Save a cigarette

Funny Image at a restaurant i recently went to! What a brilliant idea!! :) 

YoungMe

People reinact old baby photos of themselves on this website. This one, with George in the giant tub is particulary adorable. The rest made me laugh out loud.

Enjoy!! 

Bucket Fail!

2010/02 Allan Chochinov from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

A fantastic and inspiring video to watch. I love how Allan encourages people to re-imagine an existing solution to answer unresolved problems.

Parents' Wishes!

Thanks!

Leah posts a thank you note a day on THXTHXTHX, and I just spend the last hour scrolling all the way back through January. What a lovely way to start the day!! :)

How To Be Alone

An eloquently narrated visual poem full of things we so often need to tell ourselves and believe, yet so rarely do. How simple, how profound.

What to focus on

Life can get pretty complicated if you let it....and sometimes simple images like this help you remember what is really essential! One of my all time favourites from Marc Johns